Point of higher priced streamer?

@thyname  I agree...there is firm entrenchment.  I'm just sharing what I've experienced through lots of A/B testing over the years.  I can hear a difference in some things and others I can't...or just barely.  In this example with the streamers I can hear it.  Speaker cables and power cords rarely make a difference to my ears (A23 speaker cables are the only ones to make a profound difference in my system likely due to their impedance and interaction with my particular speaker).  I can hear IC differences pretty clearly.  I've tried a SR fuse and it made no difference in my system.  I go in with no bias and no agenda...sometimes I can hear it and other times I can't.

@thyname  

Hey @three easy payments, good post. Although I am afraid you are talking to the wall

Thanks.  It's hard to get the "bits are bits" camp to contemplate that the SQ differences likely (as in 100%) have nothing to do with the digital portion of the streamer/DAC interaction....yet they continue to drone on about packet data quality etc...even though I totally agree with them on that part.  They refuse to contemplate the non-digital aspects of the component interplay.

Me too. I hear difference in some stuff, and nothing on some other stuff. I just move on, and decide that’s just not for me. But I am totally aware of the possibility others may hear differences in stuff I don’t. It’s pretty simple, no need to get worked up on that.

Case in point, tried a Mutec Ref10 SE-120 to clock my DAC. In two-three weeks I had it, I struggled big time to hear any difference at all, OK maybe some small stuff, I was not even sure it was for good or bad. So I returned it. Meanwhile, several people I know, including two friends with the same as DAC as me, swear by it. Go figure! It is what it is, probably my ears are not sensitive enough to such changes. So I move on, but, I don’t go and call my friends, and people who own it, suckers, or stupid. 

Any non digital aspects coming from a streamer to a DAC like distortion or noise would show on the analog out of the DAC if it is bad enough. If not  the DAC is capable of dealing with it. The point is not are there differences but are they audible. Every streamer I tried was with the same DAC and speakers. I didn't do blind tests so they are just my subjective opinion and I present them as such. I heard no or minor difference in SQ . You say you can hear differences in IC pretty clearly unless you used some level of control for bias then your assessment of IC is no better than mine of streamers. I understand  bias can influence our perceptions, our other senses can as well. 

Why use a dedicated server? First, you have to ask yourself, why use usb input on the dac?
Once you decide to use a network interface and not usb, then your requirements change. If you use a network interface on the dac, then you can use a OS X or Linux server to run Roon or Audirvana. Never use a server in your audio room. If you decide to use usb, then you should use a music server that has the best usb link, then you have to buy other accessories to help usb sound decent. Years ago I demoed many music servers and found the Auralic Aries the best, over Lumin and Aurender, and their DS Lightning software was in a different league over its competitors. If you want to go cheaper, then find a Aries mini, much better than the bluesound.